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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24803497">we're just kids.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lolawrites/pseuds/lolawrites'>lolawrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abusive Parents, Child Abuse, Dialogue Heavy, Domestic Violence, F/F, M/M, will add tags as requested</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:54:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,023</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24803497</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lolawrites/pseuds/lolawrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Listen, Jamie,” her father hissed. “When your mother and I give you an order, you follow it. You do not talk back. Understand?” </p>
<p>Jamie’s hands gripped the sponge tighter, but she nodded minutely. “Y-Yes. I understand.” </p>
<p>The hand in her hair let her go, and the loss of weight allowed her nose to dip into the water. “Finish up. Get to bed.”</p>
<p>Jamie wiped away the water but began to scrub away at the pan in her hands. </p>
<p>“Yes, sir.” </p>
<p>God, she hated him." </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Rosales family was dark. The Rosales kids moved around a lot. The Rosales patriarch was evil. </p>
<p>After being given a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend one of the most prestigious private schools in the state, twins Jamie and James were thrown into a brand new school with brand new people, people that came from a world completely different from their own. It just might be their opportunity to escape their turbulent home lives.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Damian Thane/James Rosales, Jamie Rosales/Noelle Le, Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Six in the morning on a Thursday in May. Sunlight seeps in through red curtains, and five alarms ring in succession in the Rosales household. </p>
<p>Five pairs of teenage feet crawl out of bed slowly, padding over to closets and bathrooms. All avoiding each other to the best of their ability. Jamie ran her fingers through her hair in the mirror, catching curls and pulling them harshly. As she brushed her teeth, she caught sight of the prominent dark circles under her eyes. </p>
<p>“Let it go you little freak!”</p>
<p>She groaned, spitting her toothpaste out and leaving the bathroom to walk into her shared room. She could hear stumbling and quieter arguing from the bedroom belonging to her brothers next door. </p>
<p>Jamie’s older sister Harriet sat at the vanity, applying her foundation as she listened to music loudly. Their younger sister, CJ, was tying her blonde hair into a ponytail in the mirror of the closet door. Jamie pulled on her tee-shirt, avoiding the vanity and grabbed her jacket as she walked out of the room. </p>
<p>“It’s mine! You know it doesn’t fit you!” As she walked past her brother’s room, someone stumbled out and landed on her. She groaned, holding her head where it collided with the wall. “Jamie, you good?” James held a hand out to her, hair messy and eyes more tired than her own. </p>
<p>She took her twin’s hand, letting him pull her up. He held his leather jacket in his hand, flinching when the door to his room opened suddenly. There stood their oldest sibling, Harry. He glared at the twins, eyeing the jacket in James’s hands. “I said: hand it over.” </p>
<p>“Fix your eyeliner,” Jamie replied, pulling her brother away and down the stairs. “It’s uneven.” James pulled the newspaper out from the front porch, setting it on the table before taking his seat. Jamie set out various glasses and mugs at the table, filling three with coffee and the other five with milk. </p>
<p>“Where’s my paper?” Their father’s voice startled them as he stepped into the kitchen. “Did you forget my paper?” James shook his head, pointing to the newspaper at the head of the table. Their father let out a noise of approval, and roughly ruffled James’s hair, pulling out more than a few hairs in the process. “And you?” He asked Jamie with a glare, taking his seat. </p>
<p>“Your coffee’s ready,” she said and handed him his mug. “Hazelnut roast.” He grabbed the mug from her hands, flipping open the paper and watching as the rest of his family walked into the kitchen. Harry, Harriet, CJ, and their mother each took their seats. They were quiet, drinking their coffee and milk until their mother stood up to start on breakfast. </p>
<p>The crackling of oil and eggs filled the room and Harriet could be seen checking her nails out as Harry read something on his phone under the table. CJ spoke animatedly to their father, who gave her a rare smile and his attention. Jamie drank her own coffee and watched her twin sneak a book under the table. He turned a page slowly to make no noise, eyes on their father. </p>
<p>“I’m going to be late coming home today,” James said, catching their father’s attention. Their older siblings looked between James and their father, curious about his reply. James had a vice grip on his book, it shook slightly. </p>
<p>“Absolutely not. You will be here at three.” Said their father. He fixed a glare over to him. “That’s final.” </p>
<p>“But—”</p>
<p>“I said: that’s final.” </p>
<p>Both James, Senior and Junior held gazes, the younger breaking first. James looked down in defeat, agreeing quietly. There was a sudden thud on the floor, startling the family of seven. James placed his hands over the table, refusing to look over at his father. </p>
<p>“Harry, grab whatever that was.” Harry did so, handing it over to their father when he demanded it. “James. James, what is this?” </p>
<p>“A book.” </p>
<p>“And what did I tell you about books?”</p>
<p>“They’re not to be brought to the table under no circumstance. I was just—”</p>
<p>“I told you that the next time you brought a book to the table I’d take care of it, didn’t I?” </p>
<p>“Dad, please don’t,” said James, hand extended to grab the book before their father snatched it back. “Dad, I swear I wasn’t reading it. I was just holding it, I promise.” Their father ignored him and stood from his seat. James made to stand too, but a harsh glare sat him right back down. </p>
<p>“James, dear, I don’t think it’s necessary to do something to his book.” Their mother laid a hand on his shoulder, gently taking the book from him. He grabbed it back, shaking his head. </p>
<p>“No. Carolina, he knew the rules and he will be punished. You either go against my word or you step aside.” Carolina bit her lip but lowered her head and went back to serving the omelets she had prepared. </p>
<p>James senior grabbed his coffee mug from the table and walked over to the sink. Jamie watched with a glare as he opened her twin’s book and emptied his coffee mug over it, even opening to different pages to make sure no part of it was left dry. She dug her nails into her palms, looking away and taking angry bites from her omelet. </p>
<p>When he was happy with the mess he had made from her twin’s book, her father moved over to the stove, where he turned the knob on one of the stovetops. He lowered the book down, letting it catch fire before tossing it back into the sink to burn. After about a minute, he turned on the tap, letting the water fizzle out the flames and set a burning scent waft through the kitchen. </p>
<p>Next to her, James sniffed wiping at his eyes. Their father turned back around quickly. </p>
<p>“What are you crying for? Keep it up and I’ll give you something to cry about.”</p>
<p>Jamie stood up, taking her plate to the sink next to her father. He glared at her, and she ran the water over her plate. Jamie took her sweet time washing and drying, letting the rest of her family try to lighten the mood. </p>
<p>“We need to go,” Jamie said when she turned around. “I have a meeting I need to go to, so does James.” </p>
<p>“No, James is staying home today,” said their father. “Have I made myself clear?”</p>
<p>“…Crystal.” Jamie, CJ, Harriet, and Harry grabbed their bags and walked over to the front door, sending James a pitying look before stepping out. The other three walked over to Harry’s beat-up Dodge. Jamie stood by the door, taking in deep breaths. If James was going to stay home, their father probably would too. He’d go through James’s things and make him explain as he looked over him condescendingly. </p>
<p>“Jamie, what’s the holdup?!” Harry honked the horn, sending her an annoyed look. “Hurry up!” </p>
<p>Jamie got in the back next to CJ, buckling in before popping in her earbuds. They got about halfway to the high school before CJ yanked out her earbuds. </p>
<p>“What the hell, you little demon!” Jamie pushed CJ back into her side of the car. </p>
<p>“Relax! Listen, I know you’re worried about James but he can handle himself just fine.” </p>
<p>“What do you care? You’re on his side more often than not!”</p>
<p>“Hey, I hate him just as much as you four do!”</p>
<p>“No, you don’t! If you were on our side you wouldn’t rat us out when it benefits you to be some sort of Daddy’s Girl. You’re just as bad as he is!” </p>
<p>“Don’t take it out on me just because you have daddy issues, Jamie. So what if I actually like our dad, he’s not awful.”</p>
<p>“Sure you wouldn’t think so, he just loves you doesn’t he?”</p>
<p>“Alright enough!” Harriet leaned back her chair, ramming it into CJ’s knees. CJ yelped but sat back into her chair. “You two need to cool off. Jamie, get out and walk.”</p>
<p>“Seriously?! I’m the bad guy here?”</p>
<p>“If we kick out CJ she’ll just blab to dad so, yes, get out and walk the rest of the way. If you think about slamming the door when you go I’ll cut your hair in your sleep.” </p>
<p>“I hate this stupid family,” Jamie muttered but did as she was told, closing the door just bordering on slamming. </p>
<p>The exhaust pipe gave her a nice parting gift as they sped off, leaving her in the dust. Jamie grumbled, shrugging her jacket back over her shoulder. Her feet were soaked, she had stepped into a puddle when she got out of the car, and her mood was ruined.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took her nearly half an hour to walk to school from where she was kicked out of the car. She was cold, she was tired, and she was pissed. Jamie dropped her bag onto her desk in her first period, leaning back into her chair as the rest of her homeroom trickled into the room. Her eyes must have screamed “murder” seeing as her classmates couldn’t look her in the eye. </p><p>“Hey, Jamie,” said the girl behind her, Laura. “Where’s James?”</p><p>The girl was surrounded by a group of friends, three of them, and there was one that had a rather red face that looked like she’d prefer to be anywhere else. </p><p>“Around.” She said, turning back around. A hand suddenly landed on her shoulder, causing her to startle violently. She bit back a curse, wide eyes trained onto the owner of the hand that still hadn’t left her shoulder. <em>“What?!”</em></p><p>The girl, Rose, looked determined, and once she was sure Jamie wouldn’t turn back she took her hand off. “He’s your brother, you don’t know where he is?” </p><p>Jamie frowned, running a hand down her face. “What do I look like, his keeper? He’s not here, leave it.” </p><p>She turned back, leaning her arms on the desk, burying her face in them. </p><p>“James is so cute, but his sister is so much of a bitch it’s a wonder he stays so sweet.” </p><p>Rolling her eyes, Jamie began working on the math worksheet her teacher had passed out at the door. It was a review, but Jamie was never one for numbers; they always messed with her head. Her budding headache didn’t make it any easier either. She struggled through the worksheet, refusing to ask for any help from her classmates. </p><p>In the lunchroom, Jamie clutched her tray tightly in her hands. Tired eyes scanned the room for an empty table, finding one quickly. She speed-walked over to the table, glaring down anyone in her way. Most people got the message, looking away or stepping aside. </p><p>“Hey, you’re Jamie, right?” To her left, some tall kid was trying to catch up with her. Jamie was pretty tall for her age, and this dude towered over her. He had black hair that was covered up by a beanie, long hair tied up in the back. He looked your typical skater boy, the dazed look that went with it. “Can I sit with you?” </p><p>Jamie stayed quiet, hoping that he’d take the hint and leave her alone. She finger-combed her hair back, still quiet. The boy stood awkwardly in front of her, holding a can of some kind of chilled tea in one hand and his backpack in the other. </p><p>Jamie sighed, motioning him to sit down. He grinned, and took a seat, looking like he wanted to say something. </p><p>“Um, I’m Leandro San Juan, nice to meet you.” </p><p>“…Jamie Rosales.” She eyed the boy warily. “Listen, is there something you need?” </p><p>“Oh,” he looked surprised at her straightforwardness. “Actually, I had kinda hoped your brother would be here when I talked to you. Is he coming anytime soon?” </p><p>Jamie scowled, the slice of pizza that she had raised to her lips falling back down to the tray. She stood from the table, tossing the tray into the garbage can before grabbing her backpack and leaving the cafeteria. Behind her, Leandro sputtered, scrambling to follow her. </p><p>“D-Did I say something wrong? I’m sorry if I—” </p><p>Jamie turned back to face him, eyes fiery. He took a step back, hands raised slightly. “Listen, Leandro, you’re new here, right? You probably would have figured it out yourself sooner or later, but people don’t really talk to me. I don’t like talking to people. If you’re trying to use me to get to my brother, don’t bother. He’s not here today, try finding him tomorrow or just stop trying at all. He probably wouldn’t be so eager to talk either.” </p><p>He didn’t say anything, now scowling himself. It looked like he wanted to say more, but Jamie didn’t stay to listen. She didn’t even stay to finish the rest of the day. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m home!” Jamie tossed her keys into the bowl by the door and looked around the house. “James?” </p><p>From upstairs, there were hurried footsteps, both heavy and light. Jamie hesitated, fearing her father’s temper. It wasn’t even one yet, and if he were home he most likely did not go to work. She walked up the stairs slowly, keeping her footsteps as quiet as possible. Jamie hovered around her brother’s room, listening to her father’s muffled voice coming through the door. When there was another thud, Jamie felt her hands shake and let herself fall back against the wall. It was when she heard her brother’s pained grunt that she filled herself with resolve and walked in. </p><p>“James…?” He sat on the floor by his bed, arms held over his head to cover it from whatever was being thrown at him. From the look of his surroundings, his own books had been thrown at him. James looked up at her, shock on his face. He extended a shaky hand towards her, a hesitant plea for some help. Jamie’s eyes widened, and she reached out to hold her twin’s hand. Before she was able to, her wrist was caught by a much larger hand. </p><p>Her father’s grip tightened, and he raised her hand high over her head. She whimpered, pulling her arm down when she felt her shoulder immediately reject the movement. “D-dad, let go. Let go, let go. Dad, let go!” In response he shook her wrist roughly, making her whimper again. </p><p>“What do you think you’re doing here, brat?” James Senior glared down at her, letting go of her wrist and letting her fall to the floor. Once there, she glared right back up at him. </p><p>“You always act so tough, don’t you Jamie? Always frowning at everybody like you’d be able to do something. Guess what, brat? You can’t do anything. You can just sit there and cry when someone stronger than you comes along.” </p><p>“She’s isn’t a part of this, dad,” said James, hands still shaking. “Leave Jamie out of it.” Their father turned his angry gaze back towards her twin and picked up another one of James’s books from the shelf. “A-And, leave my books…leave my books alone!” </p><p>Their dad laughed, low and gravelly. He waved the book in his hand around before angrily throwing it at the twins. James yelped when the book hit his temple, bouncing off and smacking into Jamie’s nose. There were about nine more books on the shelf, meaning he had more ammo to work with. The twins seemed to realize this at the same time, and they scrambled to get away from his line of fire. </p><p>“Dad! Stop, stop!” Jamie covered her head, in a position much like James’s own when she had walked in. “…Mom!” James gasped, realizing he could call for their mother. </p><p>“Mom!” James cried, moving across the room to get away from the books still being thrown at him. “Mom, help!” </p><p>James senior chuckled again, leaving the shelf to walk towards Jamie, who was closest to him. She glared up at him, eyebrows wavering in her attempt to keep them furrowed. Her father reached down and grabbed a fistful of her hair, his fingers getting tangled in her curls. She winced loudly, letting out a pained cry when he shook her head, pulling at the roots of her hair. </p><p>“Stop it! Mom!” Jamie tugged at her hair, trying to get it away from her father’s seemingly iron grip. He turned, moving the hand that held Jamie’s hair with him, making her cry out in pain. Jamie was dragged along as her dad walked towards James, who scrambled to get away before he could grab him. James called again for their mother, louder and more frantic when he found himself cornered. Their father reached over and grabbed another fistful of James’s own curls, pulling both of them up by their hair. </p><p>“Mom’s not home,” he whispered. Jamie locked eyes with her brother, panic evident in their gaze. “She’s not around to make excuses for you two screw-ups. Just like her to make excuses for mistakes. <em>Her mistakes.</em> You two are nothing like me, nothing like the others. No, you two are some bastard children. Lord knows I’ve tried to raise you right, but you’re broken. Why couldn’t there be only one of you?  Bad enough there were two of you!” He gave them another shake, both siblings wincing loudly. </p><p>“Both of your brats are really testing my patience. And this one!--” He shook James harder—“Had the nerve to think he reads like a normal person?! ‘Least the other brat knows she isn’t worth anything.”  </p><p>Jamie yelled, and dug her nails into her father’s wrist, raking them down his arm when he yelled in pain. On his other side, James did the same, making him drop both of them. James managed to grab his jacket and they ran out of the room. Behind them, James Sr. had made slow movements toward them. James grabbed Jamie’s hand, pulling her along as he ran down the stairs and out the door. </p><p>“An’ don’t come back!” The twins did not look back and kept running. </p><p>They ran for about ten minutes, slowing down when they reached a playground closer to the local elementary school. James led his sister down to the swings, setting her down on one as he took the other. </p><p>Jamie didn’t move, her legs moving the bare minimum amount to keep the swing slightly moving. </p><p>“How’s your head?” Jamie asked, looking through her hair at James as he massaged his temple. There was a bruise starting to form there, the goose egg standing out along his hairline. James shrugged, refusing to raise his head. </p><p>“How’s your shoulder?” Jamie rubbed the strained area with a wince. </p><p>“Hurts,” she said. “But I’ll be okay.” </p><p>“I hate this godawful family,” Jamie sniffed. She covered her face with her hand. “I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, I hate this!” </p><p>“I know, sis,” James replied quietly, but he didn’t dare to comfort her. He had his own issues to deal with, not just hers. “I hate it too.” </p><p> </p><p>“I thought I told you not to come back,” James Sr. growled, hands crossed tightly over his chest. “And here you are.” </p><p>“We don’t have anywhere to go, dad,” James said quietly, not daring to look up at the taller man.  “We won’t cause any trouble, we swear.”</p><p>The senior grunted, but placed a hand on James’ shoulder, pushing them both inside roughly. “Upstairs. I don’t want to hear a peep from either of your rooms. You will go to bed and you will not come out until morning. Oh and, clean your face, brat. You look awful.” </p><p>Jamie wiped under her eyes with the heel of her palm. Deciding to not make more of a mess than usual, she followed her brother upstairs and shut the door quietly as possible behind her. Straining her ears, Jamie could faintly make out her mother asking about her and James in a slightly accusatory way. Dinner was still on the table, and there was no way Jamie would even dare to try to sneak anything. </p><p>After dinner she avoided her sister’s questions, preferring their angered quips and pillows tossed at her head. The house went silent at about ten, and Jamie found she couldn’t sleep at all. Wincing at the creaking of her bedsprings she carefully slid off of the bed, watching for any shifts in her sister’s sleeping patterns. </p><p>Tip-toeing to the window, Jamie found herself leaning her forehead on the chilled glass. </p><p><em>I’m gonna get us out of here,</em> she promises to herself.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day started out business as usual. The Rosales family woke up and went about their morning routines; Harley and CJ got into a small argument regarding the last bagel in the bag, but it went uneventful overall. </p>
<p>It wasn’t until Jamie’s third period in Human Anatomy where things got interesting. A call from the counselor’s office summoned her to her assigned guidance counselor though she wasn’t given a reason. Halfway through her walk there she met up with James, who seemed just as confused as she was about the summon. </p>
<p>“What did you do?” Was the first thing he asked because it wasn’t uncommon that Jamie got into some fight or some “loud disagreement” with a classmate. </p>
<p>“Listen,” she said, tucking her hands into her jacket’s pockets. “Normally, I’d have something to confess to you, but this time I actually didn’t do anything. I mean I was kind of rude to some new kid yesterday, but that’s not usually something that’d get me called in.” </p>
<p>“Well I certainly didn’t do anything,” James said as he opened the door to the counselor’s office. She shrugged and knocked on the door to the office of their shared counselor. </p>
<p>There was a moment where it sounded like something had crashed inside, and loud footsteps came closer to the door. The twins shared a brief look of confusion, paired with slight concern on James’ part. The door opened to reveal their counselor, Mr. Brennan. </p>
<p>“Come in, come in!” He said as he ushered the two in with a huge smile on his face. “I have some exciting news for you two!”</p>
<p>The twins sat down, James looking slightly intrigued and Jamie like she’d rather be anywhere else at that moment. Jamie raised an eyebrow at Mr. Brennan and motioned for him to go on. </p>
<p>“Well as you know, there is a very distinguished private school in our city, Stoney Academy,” he started, calming down a bit. “Usually, they’re highly selective of their student body, and their tuition costs are…quite steep.” </p>
<p>“It’s the rich kid school,” Jamie drawled, resting one leg over the other. </p>
<p>“Kind of pretentious,” James agreed. </p>
<p>“It’s a very good school,” Mr. Brennan said. “Their reputation carries a lot of weight and a lot of good colleges like seeing Stoney on transcripts. Now, they started a community outreach program where they take in students from underprivileged schools and backgrounds with a full scholarship.” </p>
<p>James leaned forward, slightly more invested. “And where do my sister and I factor in all this?” </p>
<p>“I submitted you two for consideration,” he said excitedly. Mr. Brennan calmed down a moment, leveling with the two. “Listen, you two come from a really large family, and I really think your futures could benefit from attending Stoney.” </p>
<p>He pushed some papers around his desks before grabbing two large manila folders. Upon closer examination, they were marked with the Stoney seal and each had one of their names on them. “I wouldn’t be telling you about this opportunity if I didn’t have some good news to go with it. I would never plant false hope in a student.” </p>
<p>Jamie leafed through the contents of the folder: a student manual, a brief copy of the uniform dress code and its variants, a copy of her school transcript, a letter addressed to her personally. “Listen, can we get to the point?” </p>
<p>Mr. Brennan smiled softly at them. “You two were both awarded the scholarships to attend Stoney Academy. This is a fantastic opportunity for you both.” </p>
<p>James gasped and read through his acceptance letter, but Jamie seemed unsure. “Are you sure this isn’t some kind of scam?” </p>
<p>“I talked to their advising staff yesterday and had your mother come in to talk things over. She is fully supportive of this move and we both really think it’s something you should take up.”</p>
<p>At the mention of their mother, both perked up. Jamie shared a look with her brother out of the corner of her eye. That was it, that was the reason she wasn’t home the day before to save them from their father’s anger. </p>
<p>Jamie felt incredibly angry. Because of this <em>stupid</em> school offer they had to suffer their father’s anger fit with no one to stop him. The man didn’t respect their mother but if she were to put herself directly between them, he would have stopped. If it weren’t for the stupid scholarship to some snooty private school James wouldn’t be dealing with a limp that day and Jamie wouldn’t have to keep her jacket on all day to hide the large bruise on her shoulder. </p>
<p>Mr. Brennan started pointing things out on Jamie’s transcript. “See, Jamie, while your math grades aren’t exactly what Stoney would love their students to have, they agreed to set up a tutoring partner to help you out with that.” </p>
<p>“So, Stoney thinks I’m stupid?” Jamie asked with a raised eyebrow. Her counselor scrambled to disagree. </p>
<p>“No, no!” He said with a laugh. “They just want you to be able to succeed to the best of your ability!” </p>
<p>“I think we should do it,” James said, his eyes not leaving his acceptance letter. “Jamie, Stoney is our best shot at getting out of here.” </p>
<p>To Mr. Brennan, that might mean a shot to getting out of their small town, but Jamie knew what he really meant. They’d be able to get out of their home, out of their family, away from their father. They could be free. </p>
<p>Jamie eyes her own folder, took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, alright. We’ll do it. We’ll go to Stoney.” </p>
<p>Mr. Brennan perked up. Nodding quickly, he began to grab at certain papers on his desk and reached for his phone. “Fantastic! This is really going to be a good chance for you two to get ahead in the world.” </p>
<p>He paused with his finger at the keypad. “Listen, I’m gonna miss being your guidance counselor, but I want the best for you, I really do. And I think this is it. You’re not too far into your sophomore year to fall far behind and your last two years are really important for college applications. You two are gonna have a great time at Stoney.” </p>
<p>James laughed and scratched at his cheek. “Yeah…we’ll miss you two, Mr. Brennan.” Jamie laid back in her seat and crossed both her legs and arms. </p>
<p>“This better be worth it,” she mumbled to herself. However, somewhere deep inside she allowed herself to be excited for what was to come.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jamie scowled into her sister’s vanity as she struggled with the tie around her neck. She had been looking at video tutorials to figure it out, but it was coming out badly either way. She sighed frustratedly and stomped out of her room and down to the kitchen. </p>
<p>“Mama, I need help,” Jamie said as she entered, already undoing the mess of a knot around her neck. “This damn thing is gonna choke me before I set foot into the place.” </p>
<p>Her mother clicked her tongue in disapproval of Jamie’s language but stood to help her anyways. The older woman’s hands worked quickly to adjust the tie around Jamie’s neck and in no time it was placed correctly around the neck of her white blouse. She smoothed out Jamie’s blazer and took a couple of steps back. </p>
<p>“Oh, Jamie,” her mother said with her hand on her chest. “You look so pretty.” </p>
<p>Jamie felt uncomfortable under her mother’s gaze and stared at the floor while she shuffled her feet. The uniform consisted of a white collared blouse, a navy blazer with the school’s red symbol on the left side, and a navy and red plaid patterned pleated skirt. The socks were ankle-high, but Jamie was glad she was able to keep her combat boots. She chose to wear some shorts under the skirt, but she wasn’t exactly ready to trust the coverage. </p>
<p>Luckily, James came into the kitchen moments later with the same tie issue. He made a frustrated noise in their mother’s direction and laughed lightly before helping him too. James wore pretty much the same version of the uniform, minus the skirt. Their mother took a second to smooth out his hair, which he had taken the time to tie back into a low ponytail. </p>
<p>She clapped her hands and pressed a brown paper bag into each of her hands before sending them out the door. Unfortunately, they started classes earlier than their other siblings and weren’t allowed to use their car. Of course, their father refused to leave for work half an hour earlier to drive them, so they were stuck walking. </p>
<p>As they walked down the street to Stoney, James began to tug at his collar and loosen his tie a bit. Jamie did the same, feeling the stupid thing start to choke her. “I don’t like this,” he said. “I miss my jacket.” </p>
<p>“You and me both,” Jamie agreed, tugging her skirt farther down. </p>
<p>They walked for about fifteen more minutes before coming to a halt in front of the gates that housed Stoney Academy. The gates were large and a bit thick, and a sign at the front read the name of the school in fancy, bold lettering. </p>
<p>Jamie sighed tiredly and ran a hand down her face. She turned to face her brother and grabbed him by the shoulder. “If one rich kid looks at me, I’m turning around and going home.” </p>
<p>James laughed but quickly schooled his face into a more serious expression. “Hey, in all seriousness, don’t think that you don’t belong here. You not being strong in math doesn’t mean shit. They’re only here because they have rich parents that can afford tutors for them when they start lacking. Me and you? Everything we’ve done, we’ve done on our own. Just you and me.” </p>
<p>Her brother smiled softly at her before turning back to the main building. Jamie rolled her eyes at his mushiness but was the first one of the two to make a move towards the school. As they approached the main doors, they began to hear the rest of the student body talking among themselves. Walking in, the first thing they noticed were the students of various grades standing in front of dark red lockers. The main hallway was well-lit and clean. </p>
<p>Jamie’s eyes scanned the lockers in search of the wing that held their own, #745, and #746. She felt her brother’s hand grab ahold of her bag’s strap, his nerves getting the best of him in front of so many people. </p>
<p>Jamie put some effort into making her face as unappealing as she could, all narrowed eyes and furrowed brows. She kept her chin held high, with a walk that meant business. It seemed like her show of anger was no reason, as none of the students paid any attention to the out of place twins. </p>
<p>It took them a bit to find their lockers. Luckily, they were on the same side of the hallway. She placed her lock through the little hole by the handle and shoved a couple of notebooks and pens into it. While she was there, she emptied some of the miscellaneous junk in her bag into the locker: a handful of hair ties and bobby pins, a couple of pins, some feminine products, and an extra pair of headphones. </p>
<p>She shut it and locked her locker and leaned against it with her arms crossed as she waited for her twin to finish setting himself up. According to the clock on the wall, there was still half an hour before classes started, during which they planned on visiting their homeroom teachers and get situated. </p>
<p>For Jamie, it was French, which she had started back at the old school, and for James it was Physics. Armed with a map of the school each, the twins gave each other a supportive look and took off in different directions. </p>
<p>Jamie quickly found the classroom and grumbled to herself before trying to look less of a bitch and entered the room. The teacher sat at his desk in the corner of the room and was typing away at his computer. It looked expensive. Jamie rolled her eyes. </p>
<p>She knocked on the room’s doorframe, visibly startling the teacher. He rolled his chair away from his desk and stood to greet her. “Good morning, are you our new student?” He held a hand out for her to shake. </p>
<p>Jamie nodded and fished through her bag for a letter from her previous French teacher. She ignored his hand and crossed her arms. “Yeah, I’m Jamie Rosales. Is there anything I need to do before classes start?” </p>
<p>Her teacher, Mr. Martin, blinked for a moment but accepted the letter. She was quiet for a few moments as he read it over, it was a detail of her level of progress, what verbs they were working on, the special focus of the unit, etc. It was a boring read. The morning bell rang loudly throughout the school, and students were slowly starting to flood into the room. </p>
<p>“Um, okay,” Mr. Martin said, still reading over the note. Jamie caught some of her new classmates eyeing her as they talked and took their seats. “Jamie, I’ll have you take a seat wherever’s free. I don’t have assigned seating, so take your pick. Other than that, try to keep up and participate.” </p>
<p>Jamie nodded and caught sight of a desk that was empty on the left side of the classroom. Slinging her bag off her shoulder, she brought out an empty notebook and waited for class to start. Mr. Martin began to walk back to his desk before he turned back around and flashed her a bright smile. It kind of annoyed her to see someone so sunny so early in the morning. But if she were honest, anything would annoy her that day. </p>
<p>“Oh! And welcome to Stoney Academy!”</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If there was one thing Jamie was glad for, it was that Mr. Martin didn’t make a big show out of her new kid status apart from his annoyingly cheerful welcome to the school. He started class with something that was a daily occurrence in his class: a morning song. Her new French teacher was a very excited man, and considering it was seven in the morning Jamie wasn’t pleased with the level of energy she was being encouraged to give off. </p>
<p>As the class continued Jamie could feel the eyes of her new classmates on her as she took notes or was called on to read from the textbook, but she pointedly ignored them. She was glad she had grown her hair out as much as she did because it created a good enough curtain around her face while she kept her head down as she did her work. </p>
<p>The that signaled the end of first period rang loudly in the middle of Mr. Martin’s irregular verb review, which Jamie was more than grateful for. She quickly shoved her stuff into her bag to have enough time in the passing period to find her new English class. She was particularly ready to go because she shared it with her brother. She was just about to leave when someone tapped her desk. </p>
<p>“Hey, you’re new, aren’t you?” The girl was blonde with circle-shaped glasses. She wasn’t wearing the blazer, though Jamie saw it resting on her arm. </p>
<p>Jamie fought the urge to groan out loud and kept it internal. She brushed her hair out of her face and crossed her arms, turning to face the girl and a couple of other people who had also circled around her. “Yeah? What gave it away, me not being here before or the big welcome announcement before class started?” </p>
<p>The girl obviously didn’t expect Jamie’s snark. She didn’t say anything but was very clearly put off. One of her friends, a short brunette with an expensive-looking infinity necklace around her neck. </p>
<p>“What’s your problem?” She asked, frowning deeply. “She was just being nice?” </p>
<p>“And I’m not interested,” Jamie said lazily as she shouldered her bag. “Keep it to yourself next time and maybe your feelings won’t get hurt.” </p>
<p>Jamie walked out of the classroom as she pulled out her map. She cursed because she realized the damn school had <em> three stories </em> and her English class was both on the second floor and across the hallway. “Stupid rich kids are gonna make me late, I hate it here.” </p>
<p>She all but stomped her way up the stairs and speed walked to English. Jamie was pleasantly surprised to see that her twin had reserved a space next to him for her with his bag. </p>
<p>He removed it when she approached, still interested in the book they were supposed to be reading for the class. Jamie took out her copy of the book and flipped through it, something about some guy being painted. She was surprisingly interested in it. </p>
<p>“How’d it go?” James asked. “My Physics class sucks, they’re behind where I stopped before so I can relax for a while and study ahead before they catch up to me.” </p>
<p>Jamie turned the page in her book, ignoring students aiming more questioning looks their way. “French was fine. Teacher insisted on me participating and someone tried to be my friend.” She heard her brother sigh. </p>
<p>James had put his book down and stared at her tiredly. “Can’t you try being nice?” He didn’t really sound all that upset about her inability to make and maintain friends, more exasperated that she couldn’t wait past her first day to be a raging bitch. “Or at least wait until after lunch before being unnecessarily rude?” </p>
<p>His sister snorted, a rare smile on her face. She bookmarked her page with her fingers before turning to her brother. “Come on, James, my record from freshman year was the second week of school. I thought you’d be happy I’m applying myself.” </p>
<p>“Idiot,” James laughed. He looked up as their teacher walked to the front of the class and sighed. </p>
<p>Jamie got over her little smiling fit and scowled again. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the teacher, silently expressing to her that they didn’t want to be introduced to the rest of the class. Despite that, she clapped her hands together happily to grab the attention of the rest of the class. </p>
<p>“Good morning everyone!” She said, now having the eyes of everyone on her. “If you hadn’t noticed yet, we’ve got some new students! Please, you two, stand up and tell us your name and something interesting about you.” </p>
<p>The twins shared a brief exasperated look but stood up anyway, Jamie went first. Throughout the morning one half of her blazer started to fall off of her shoulder, causing one sleeve to hide her hand. That coupled with the wild curly hair and the disinterested look created an image Jamie hoped conveyed that she was to be left alone. </p>
<p>“I’m Jamie. I’m a twin.” She promptly sat back down. The teacher looked a little uncomfortable with the lack of substance to her introduction. Jamie rested her hand on one hand and looked up to James, who had started rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. </p>
<p>“Um. Hello. I’m James,” he paused to think of his interesting fact, but obviously fell into the tried and true method. “I’m also a twin.” He sat back down and stared pointedly at his desk. </p>
<p>“Okay,” the teacher, Ms. Anthony, laughed nervously. “Well, everyone, I expect all of you to be nice to them while they get used to Stoney. James, Jamie, don’t be afraid to ask anyone for help, alright?”</p>
<p><em> I’m literally never going to do that, thanks. </em> One look at her brother showed that he was having the same exact thought. </p>
<p>From there the lesson quickly circled back to the book, which the twins were happy about. They were briefly called on to read passages from the book it was the type of class that required a certain number of book annotations per chapter, so the siblings were passing post-its to each other all period. </p>
<p>Eventually, with only five minutes left in the class, Ms. Anthony left the class to their business while she focused on some grading. As soon as they were left to their devices, their classmates began to surround the two. </p>
<p>“Hey! I’ve never met twins before that’s so cool!”</p>
<p>“Are you guys fraternal?” </p>
<p>“Why do keep your hair long, James?” </p>
<p>“If one of you feels pain does the other feel it?”</p>
<p>“Who’s the older twin?”</p>
<p>“Oh my God, leave us alone,” Jamie said, glaring at the small huddle of people around them. “Seriously what is wrong with you people? Do you normally go up to people and start interrogating them?” </p>
<p>“Yeah, back up,” James said, raising his hands to shield himself a bit. </p>
<p>One of the girls at the front frowned at Jamie, but her eyes softened at James. “I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to be rude. We’re just excited to get to know you!” </p>
<p>“Well we’re not, so,” Jamie trailed off. “Back up.” </p>
<p>The two were saved by the bell, each picking up their bags and getting the hell out of English while the rest of their classmates gathered their things. They decided to make a quick trip to their lockers to pick up and drop off some textbooks. </p>
<p>The passing period bell rang again. The twins shared a tired look, shut their lockers, and walked off in different directions again.</p>
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